Hardcover

On April 20, 1999, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold killed 12 fellow students and one teacher at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. Two of the victims of the Columbine massacre, Cassie Bernall and Rachel Scott, reportedly were asked by the gunmen if they believed in God. Both allegedly answered "Yes" and were killed. Within days of their death, Cassie and Rachel were hailed as modern-day Christian martyrs, and became useful symbols for those seeking to advance a conservative political agenda. According to police investigators, however, Cassie and Rachel may never have been asked by their killers about God; they simply may have been victims of a senseless crime rather than martyrs to a cause. As the religious and political use of Cassie and Rachel continues, "The Martyrs of Columbine" provides a careful examination of the available evidence and attempts to discover what really occurred.

Industry Reviews

'The book is useful as an in-depth journalistic account of the tragedy and its aftermath.' - P. Kivisto, Choice

'. . . meticulously documents this enduring use of martyrdom for political purposes...with a fair but skeptical eye'. - Salon.com

'...the main focus of this excellent, brief study is on the way the contrasting interpretations of the killings have been offered by the political left and evangelical right in America.' - Paul Richardson, Church of England Newspaper

' . . . Watson has also told a riveting and quintessentially American tale of intrigue and mythmaking, tragedy and exploitation.' - Randall Balmer, Barnard College, Columbia University

'This is a fascinating exploration of the lives and posthumous careers of two of the teenagers killed at Columbine High School in 1999. After their deaths, Cassie Bernall and, to a lesser extent, Rachel Scott became at once role models for America's evangelical subculture and rhetorical weapons in the country's ongoing culture wars. By showing us who the girls were and how the story of their supposed martyrdom was created, disseminated, and interpreted, Justin Watson has provided invaluable insight into the ways American culture transforms local tragedies into political morality tales for the nation as a whole.' - Mark Silk, Director, The Leonard E. Greenberg Center for the Study of Religion in Public Life, Trinity College, Hartford